Regulations on mobile healthcare and telehealth occurring in Vietnam from January 1, 2024

Mobile healthcare and telehealth occurring in Vietnam from January 1, 2024 will comply with the provisions of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023 (taking effect on January 1, 2024), specifically as follows:

Regulations for mobile healthcare in Vietnam

(1) Mobile healthcare services shall include the following:

- Mobile or outreach health activities taking place at venues other than the official address specified in the operating license of the medical establishment organizing these activities;

- Home or workplace healthcare services

- Humanitarian outreach healthcare campaigns organized at intervals.

(2) Conditions for provision of mobile healthcare services shall be as follows:

-  Mobile or outreach health activities taking place at venues other than the official address specified in the operating license of the medical establishment organizing these activities must be provided by a medical establishment with a sufficient number of medical practitioners, equipment, facilities and other suitable conditions corresponding to the scale and scope of mobile health services, except for home healthcare services performed by local village or community health workers and midwives;

- Humanitarian outreach healthcare campaigns organized at intervals must conform to the following conditions:

+ Humanitarian healthcare must be rendered by medical practitioners or persons defined in clause 3 of Article 19 of the Law on Medical Examination and Treatment 2023;

+ Humanitarian healthcare must be delivered by medical establishments or entities licensed to operate in Vietnam;

+ Funding for humanitarian healthcare must be available and patients receiving humanitarian healthcare shall be exempted from all costs incurred from humanitarian healthcare services;

+ Humanitarian healthcare shall require the consent from competent authorities pursuant to the Government’s regulations.

- Mobile or outreach health activities taking place at venues other than the official address specified in the operating license of the medical establishment organizing these activities and humanitarian outreach healthcare campaigns organized at intervals can commence with the consent of a health agency under the People's Committee of the province where they are planned to take place, except as medical establishments under the People’s armed forces render these services and activities to patients under these armed forces’ authority.

Regulations on Mobile healthcare and telehealth occurring in Vietnam from January 1, 2024 (Internet image)

Regulations for telehealth and telehealth support in Vietnam

- Telehealth occurring between medical practitioners and patients shall be carried out as follows:

+ It shall depend on the scope of practice of the medical practitioner; the remote treatment shall be delivered according to the nomenclature of diseases or medical conditions sanctioned by the Minister of Health;

+ Medical practitioners shall be liable for their clinical diagnosis results, prescription for therapies or remedies and medications.

- Telehealth support occurring between medical establishments shall be carried out as follows:

+ Medical practitioners directly in charge of patient cases at the supported medical establishments shall be responsible for their medical examination and treatment results;

+ The supported medical establishments must pay costs of telehealth support to the supporting ones at the prices agreed upon between them.

Mai Thanh Loi

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